The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has suspended all train services along the Port Harcourt–Aba corridor, citing routine maintenance as the reason for the temporary halt.
The announcement was made in a statement personally signed by NRC’s Managing Director, Kayode Opeifa, and released on Friday, September 5, 2025. According to the statement, train operations along the route will remain suspended until September 9, 2025.
“Port-Harcourt to Aba train services suspended for routine maintenance. Services will resume on the 9th of September 2025. We regret all inconveniences,” the statement read.
Sudden Shutdown Raises Passenger Fears
Despite being labeled as routine, the abrupt nature of the suspension has sparked anxiety among regular passengers, many of whom rely on the Port Harcourt–Aba route for daily travel and trade. The line has become particularly vital in recent months due to escalating road transport costs and ongoing security threats on regional highways.
Passengers and advocacy groups are now voicing concerns that the suspension may be tied to deeper operational or safety issues within the rail system.
“People rely on this train to move goods and travel affordably,” said one commuter at the Port Harcourt terminal. “This kind of sudden shutdown without warning causes real hardship.”
Comes on the Heels of Derailment Incident
The latest development comes just over a week after a Kaduna-bound train derailed, an incident that has once again brought rail safety under the spotlight. Initially, the NRC reported seven injuries, but the corporation later revised the figure to 20 passengers who suffered varying degrees of injuries.
In the aftermath of the derailment, the NRC, in collaboration with the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and other relevant agencies, launched a formal probe into the cause of the incident. Managing Director Opeifa denied reports of poor maintenance or equipment failure, stating that affected passengers had been fully refunded and that safety protocols were being reviewed.
Despite these reassurances, the incident has deepened public skepticism over the NRC’s operations, with calls growing for a comprehensive safety audit of the rail system.
NRC Under Scrutiny
The Port Harcourt–Aba corridor is one of the busiest in the South-East and South-South, especially for low-income passengers and market traders. Its shutdown even if temporary has reignited discussions about the fragility of Nigeria’s transport infrastructure, particularly the rail sector, which has been promoted in recent years as a safer and more cost-effective alternative to road travel.
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